


Rei, the Age of the Lotus - Book One, Disorder

by WhiskeyBuffalo



Series: Rei, the Age of the Lotus [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Adoption, Canon Compliant, Dragons, Korrasami Family, Order of the White Lotus, Post canon, Red Lotus, The Age of the Lotus, The Spirits Festival, disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3811621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskeyBuffalo/pseuds/WhiskeyBuffalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Rei, the Age of the Lotus" is a story about Rei, the adopted daughter of Korra and Asami Sato, and her adventures relating to the Avatar and her family, the return of the Red Lotus, and the world at large. The main body of the story occurs 34 years after the end of Book 4 and pulls different perspectives, from old characters and new, as events unfold in the Avatar Universe.</p><p> Character tags will be added as new characters are introduced into the story. Updates once a week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue, Morning Songs

**Author's Note:**

> The character of "Rei" is based of some of the awesome fanart from doofyarts on Tumblr. You might already know the page, but if you don't, go check it out and see the cool fanart there of Korra and Asami's family. None of it is mine, but I got Doofy's permission to tell Rei's story, and here we are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those just starting, this chapter is stylistically just a little different from what follows. Just stick with it, it gets pretty sweet (In my humbly biased opinion.)
> 
> This is real short one, but fear not they get much longer after this.  
> Aaaand...time jump!

Shadows dance, the flickering light casting ghosts about the square. 

 

Jade chimes sway from a lone pine tree in the easy breeze, making soft, discordant music. A lone woman’s singed blue garments contrast to the flames that touch the early dawn. She stares stolidly into the open fire ahead of her, contemplating. The town square is quiet except for the cackling of burning wood and the sound of jade ringing.

Footsteps echo off the cobblestone road. The woman looks away from the gaze of the ruined neighborhood. A younger man in a white uniform approaches, walking with a kind of tired authority. 

“The White Lotus have been stationed around the affected area to keep the fire from spreading.” He tells her, “The fighting is over.” 

“Good,” The woman says wearily, relaxing slightly, “Thank you Master Kyniro. Do you know where Asami is?” 

“City hall,” replies Kyniro, his deep voice resonating in the uncrowded square, “Trying to get the generator running, I expect.” 

“And have you found Henfaa?” she asks.

Kyniro says nothing, his silence speaking for him. Somewhere, a songbird sings its twilight song, mourning for the night. The woman nods and begins to leave, but Kyniro pauses to watch the still burning buildings. The flames seem to melt into the dawn’s early colors.

“Henfaa is still in there, somewhere."  He says grimly, “It’s hard to believe that one man caused all of this.”

The woman stops and puts a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. There’s a distant memory, from a harder time. 

“Kyniro, you are still young.” She says. 

“Not as young as all that.” Kyniro says, "Not as young as you were, back then." 

“Fair,” she concedes, “But I think in time you’ll find that it is not hard to believe what people are capable of.” 

"No?" 

"No. It's just sad." 

Kyniro is silent for a moment, thoughtful. 

“As you say, Avatar Korra.” 

Before the pair can walk away, a small figure wanders out into road. Misty green eyes, a tiny voice in the square. Small footsteps pitter-patter on the cobblestones to the tinkling of jade.

 

 

 

Asami sits on the floor of the City Hall lobby, resting her back against the wall, eyes closed. Her pale hands are ungloved and folded across her lap, her black hair falls about her face and shoulders. The low hum of an underground generator is just audible in the room. She stirs when she hears someone come in through the large wooden doors.

“Korra?” She yawns, eyes still closed. “That you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad that you’re back.” Asami says, standing. “The generator is back up, I sent a message to the Ba Sing Se. How is the…” She trails off seeing Korra still standing in the doorway.

“Asami…” Korra whispers. She walks slowly into the empty space, a small child cradled in her arms, sleeping delicately.

“Korra,” Asami says with a soft expression, looking at the child. “Who is this?”

“Rei, I think.” Korra says, eyes glistening, still quiet as she gently rocks the little girl. “She can talk, a little.”

“She’s just a baby,” Asami says as she lays a tender hand on the child’s forehead. “Where are her parents?”

“She walked out of the fire, they must’ve…”

The two women are quiet for a while, feeling for the little girl, her small chest rising and falling with each sleeping breath. Asami gently strokes Rei’s hair, dark brown and stained with soot. After a time, she carefully takes her into her arms.

“She’s going to need a home.” Asami says softly.

“We could give it to her.” Korra says quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

“Yes, we could.”

 

 

 

The sun crawls over the horizon, its cascading reflection dancing in the flowing water, sparkling on a house by the river. Somewhere a songbird is singing, glad for the promise of the morning. Two women sit laughing in the grass and a little girl chases windblown leaves on the road.

 

Small footsteps pitter-patter on the cobblestones to the tinkling of jade.

 

 

 

 

 

**BOOK ONE:**

**DISORDER**

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. The Spirits Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a Prologue to this series, Morning Songs, that I posted retroactively after posting Chapter One. Give it a gander, it's now the previous chapter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REI, THE AGE OF THE LOTUS

 

Book One,

Disorder

 

 

 

 

 

_“…and when Hakai flew o’er the writhing sea,_

_we did not desire change,_

_but we received it."_  

-Passage from “The Lost Island of Huo Mei”

 

**_  
_ **

 

 

It was the first day of the Spirits Festival.

In the center of what used to be downtown, a column of golden light reaches into the Republic City sky. The Spirit Portal casts dueling shadows with the spring sun as people and spirits mingle in the lush green space around it. In the years since the portal was made, young trees and grass have grown up between the vines, where animals rest and people lie in the shade, watching their children laugh and chase the playful spirits.

At the outskirts of the forest, beyond the circle where the spirits dwell, vendors post up, selling souvenirs and snacks to the visiting families. One tan young woman tries to haggle at a food stand.

“Twenty yuans?” Rei asks incredulously. “For a couple of kabobs? Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.” The elderly merchant says, her arms crossed.

“How do you even sell anything?”

“Hungry tourists, I guess.” The merchant says stubbornly. “Don’t act like you can’t afford it, I recognize your mother walking around back there.”

“It’s the principal!” Rei says, pointing a finger at the older woman. She closes her eyes and takes a moment to compose herself.

“Ten yuans. That’s fair.”

“Twenty yuans or no deal.”

“Fifteen, that’s as high as I’ll go.”

“Twenty yuans, _or no deal_.”

“Ugh! Fine!” Rei exclaims, slapping a short stack of bills on the counter. She snatches a handful of kabobs, muttering under her breath.

“Crazy old lady…” She grumbles, taking a moment to look for her mother.

She finds Asami kneeling near a young oak tree, watching a spry tiger-fox spirit chase its tail. The spirit pauses to consider Rei as she walks over to the tree, and purrs contentedly when she rubs it between the ears.

“Funny things, spirits.” Asami says as the spirit suddenly snatches a kabob out of Rei’s hand and runs off. “I didn’t think they ate meat.”

“I didn’t think they ate anything.”

“All spirits are a bit different.” Asami explains, sitting down by her daughter in the grass. “Like people, in a way.”

“I guess,” says Rei distractedly. “Where did Bolin run off too? I would’ve thought he’d be trying to eat all the meat in the festival since Opal’s away on ‘official airbender business’.”

“I thought he was with you?” Asami says, tilting her head.

“He’s probably somewhere trying to get a spirit to do a trick with Pabu.” Rei sighs, lying back in the grass, defeated. “I’ve paid through the nose to feed kabobs to spirits. I can’t believe Pabu is even still alive.”

“Oh, fire ferrets practically live forever.” Asami laughs, “At this rate Pabu will probably make it to forty.”

“And then the old kabob lady can cook him up and sell him for the price of a firstborn son.” Rei says sarcastically with a small smile. “Did she look familiar to you?”

“Kabob lady? I don’t think so.” Asami shrugs. “Maybe our dear Korra knows her from somewhere.”

“Maybe.” Says Rei thoughtfully, watching sparrows hop between the tree branches. “Where is Korra at anyway? Doesn’t she usually make an appearance on the first night of the festival?”

“Korra has only missed two Spirit Festivals in the past thirty four years.” Asami says, smirking. “I think the festival can make do without the Avatar every once in a while.”

“What’s she up to?”

“Consulting her ‘spiritual mentor’.”

“Oh, ok. That guy.”

 

Rei sighs quietly, lying in the grass, looking up at the sapphire sky.

 

 

White marching clouds cast passing shadows over the Kuei River.

The Avatar walks through country roads, steadily making her way to the far side of the mountain. Flowing waterfalls and small streams, birthed from the spring snowmelt, make their way from the winding mountain precipice. She could have driven, or flown perhaps, but she wants the time to collect her thoughts.

 

.....

_When Asami and Korra decide to leave the spirit world, they both know it may be some time before they see each other again. To them, it has been four months. Four months to discover themselves, and each other. Asami must return to her business, and Korra has her own matters to attend to. The flowers by the spirit portal are in full bloom, fuller and larger than they once were. The two walk through the field of deep royal purple, hand in hand, through the portal._

_They meet the quiet colors of the sun rising over the Republic City bay._

_And then, a chorus of cheering and celebration._

.....

A tiger-fox spirit trots up to Korra with a stick of meat in its mouth. She smiles, rubbing it between the ears. As the tiger-fox sprints away, she considers her gift and offers it to a passing traveler. She has a good idea of where it came from, but her years as a spiritual person have turned her to onto another diet.

“Funny things, spirits.” She says to herself.

The path she walks gradually becomes harder, yielding to paved stone as the road follows the river. A sentry stands at a bend in the road, recognizes her, and begins to prepare the boat.

 

.....

 

_Neither of them expected this. The two are swept up into the crowds, laughing and smiling with the people who are so happy to see them. Spirits soar and frolic, children put flowers in their hair. Someone in the distance is playing a victory song, accompanied by the early morning melodies of birds perched on the branches of sapling trees._

_Asami and Korra cry and smile. They embrace each other, they kiss. Men and women, strangers and loved ones, they celebrate and hold one another, singing and making music all the while._

_It’s more than they could have asked for._

_A year. To the world outside, it has been a year._

.....

 

The Kuei’s current is swifter than usual due to the snowmelt, so it doesn’t take much time to reach the mountain prison. As the small boat docks, two gigantic doors embedded into the mountainside slowly lumber open and a single White Lotus member walks out to escort the Avatar inside.

 

.....

 

_After lying in the vines and new grass, listening to music, and watching people commune with spirits, it hardly feels like they’ve returned to the physical world at all. The evening sun paints the celebration in shades of orange and gold as the two women leave the festival._

_Korra walks close to Asami, their hands intertwined. “I can’t believe it’s been a whole year.”_

_“I know.” Asami says, “There’s so much to do now. I wonder how everyone is.”_

_The couple walk quietly through the empty streets for a while, each one enjoying the other’s company, hoping that their return to their lives won’t keep them apart for very long._

_“We could have one more night before we have to be a part of all this again.” Asami whispers, gesturing the city ahead of her._

_Korra stops and looks at Asami, smiling._

_“I would love that, but there’s someone that I need to see.”_

_“Tonight?”_

_“It’s important.”_

_Asami nods and gently caresses Korra’s cheek. She kisses her lightly._

_“I understand. Be careful.”_

 

 

After an hour the musicians start to perform, playing upbeat tunes to the moving feet of tourists. A few pair off, gliding their way into the crowds of dancers and sailing spirits.

Rei only watches as her mother moves her hands to the music. After a while she stands and stretches.

“I’m going to look around for Bolin.” Rei says yawning. “He should’ve found us by now. His food is stone cold and I want to stab him with a stick.”

Asami laughs, a youthful sound for an older woman. “Oh come on now, he’ll show up eventually.”

“Yeah, well, I’m also bored.” She says casually. “Besides, for all we know, he’s finally gotten dementia and is walking around wondering what his name is. This is what happens when I hang out with old people.”

Asami grabs her heart in mock injury. “Old? Why, I’m hardly a day past fifty.”

Rei raises an eyebrow.

“Fine. Fifty-six then.”

“Old lady.”

“Baby face.” Asami jokes along. “Don’t be gone too long.”

 

.....

 

“Now if I were a middle-aged man with a senile fire ferret, where would I be?”

Rei wanders through the crowds of people, skirting by groups of dancers as they twirl about barefoot on the grass. She thinks she sees a distinctive black and gray pony tail more than once, but it’s hard to tell with so many tourists.

Frustrated, Rei moves outside of the celebration, where people are lounging on the grass, relaxing. One man sitting near a young oak tree reads a book as he shares his food with a familiar looking ferret.

“Pabu?”

The old fire ferret looks up, and the man smiles at Rei.

“Ah, the owner of this fine old creature I suppose?”

Rei approaches him warily. The man looks maybe a little younger than her parents, with long, gray unbound hair, and a small but sincere smile.

“I’m looking for the person that does. You haven’t seen a guy about your age wandering around have you? About this high, short ponytail, sort of a salt and pepper thing going on with his hair?” She says, running through the list. “He used to be big mover star?”

The man shakes his head and laughs. “I can’t say that I have. Movers have never held my interest, there are too many good books to be bothered with that nonsense.” He pats the ground next to him. “Come sit with me, if this person is looking for this clever animal here, I’m sure it won’t be long until he finds us.”

Rei considers the man for a moment before sitting next to him. Pabu crawls into her lap, she scratches his belly absently. “Alright. Though I wouldn’t go as far as to call this old thing ‘clever’.”

“Oh sometimes ‘old things’ can surprise you.” He flicks a crust of bread in her direction and Pabu springs up and snaps it out of the air. “He’s quick for his age, what did you say his name was?”

“Pabu.”

“And yours?”

“Rei.” She says shaking his hand.

“Rokkel.” He replies, closing a leaf into his book. Rei looks at him oddly.

“That’s an interesting accent.” She says, trying to place it.

“I spent most of my youth living among the Doragu Islands off the western shore of the Fire Nation.” Rokkel explains conversationally.

“Never heard of them.”

“Ah, well they are not well known outside of certain circles.”

“I’m sure.” Rei says, not entirely convinced.

The both sit silently for a while. The music continues to play in the background. Pabu curls up and starts snoring softly. After a while, Rokkel opens up his book and begins to read again.

“You don’t seem like you have many friends.” He says without looking away from his book.

Rei stares at the man. “What makes you think that?”

“Just observing.”

Sparrows flit by overhead. Rei holds her knees for a moment, watching them fly around each other like weightless dancers, thinking.

“I have friends, a few.” She says, “I just don’t have a lot in common with people my age.”

“You seem like a smart young woman.” Rokkel says, still reading. “Sometimes I think the best of us are meant to live as the dragons do, strong and fierce, but ultimately solitary. Soaring the skies alone.”

“Except for other dragons.”

Rokkel smiles, looking up from his book. He studies Rei for a moment.

“You really are quite bright, aren’t you?”

“You can thank my parents for that.” She says, and then gestures to the book in his lap. “What are you reading?”

“This?” He holds up the book, yellow pages wrapped in faded black leather.  “’The Lost Island of Huo Mei’, an early edition.”

“It looks ancient.” Rei says, examining it. “What’s it about?”

“It’s a historical collection of stories and poems that allegedly originate from Huo Mei, an island of warriors who lived among dragons in the old times.”

“Like the Sun Warriors.”

“Yes, but far more fierce and war-like. They were said to have raised dragons larger than the world had ever seen, and conquered much of the Fire Nation.” Rokkel explains. “Huo Mei once was one of the Doragu Islands, but according to legend a great spirit called Modos came and cast the island into the far ocean, as punishment for their abuse of power. No has seen the island for over two thousand years.”

“Sounds like a myth.”

“Perhaps, but it didn’t stop Fire Lord Sozin from searching for the lost island during the hundred year war, in hope of powerful allies.”

“And what do you think?” Rei asks.

Rokkel smiles and flips through the book, looking for a page. “I think every myth has its merits, truth painted into the legend, and fascinating nonetheless…Ah, you’ll find this passage interesting.” He fingers the page and hands her the book, she reads it out loud.

 

_“And so came Akuma_

_o’er the eth’real mountain,_

_where the spirits commune,_

_Fire and lightning_

_he is both,_

_he comes on the black sun,_

_still burning._

_And so came Akuma_

_of the black sun_

_a sound to shake the earth,_

_and a shadow over your heart.”_

 

“Sounds pretty dark.” Rei says, looking over the passage in the book. “Who is ‘Akuma’?”

“Akuma was a dragon, one the oldest and most fearsome to come from Huo Mei. This poem tells us just how ferocious dragons raised there must have been, compared to the ones we have today.”

“Hmm.” Rei pores through the book for a while, contemplating, flipping pages as Pabu paws over the cover to sniff the binding. Rokkel watches her, smiling at her studiousness.

“You say you do not have very many friends, would you like some?”

Rei’s looks up from the book, surprised.

“Excuse me?”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

He nods, satisfied. “Rei, you are obviously very smart. There are people I know who I think would benefit from your company. Intelligent, like-minded people, dedicated to finding truth in these complicated times. ‘Other dragons’, if you will.”

“Thanks,” she answers awkwardly, “but I think I’m happy enough here.”

Rokkel examines her critically, all of a sudden serious.

“You’re a long way from the Earth Kingdom, Rei.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Before Rokkel can answer, a man with a black and gray ponytail abruptly walks out of the crowd ahead and finds Rei.

“Rei! There you are!” Bolin calls over to her. “And you found Pabu, excellent! The little rascal’s been chasing scraps all day. Get over here you geezer!”

The two of them stand as Pabu bounds over to Bolin, scampers up his leg, and starts swatting at his ponytail. Rei gives Rokkel a probing stare, handing back his book as Bolin struggles with the ferret in the distance.

“What did you mean by that?” She asks.

Rokkel just smiles. “It was pleasure meeting you, Rei. Think about my offer, I’m sure that we’ll meet again.”

 

And with that, he turns and walks away.

 

 

 

_The metal gate slowly grinds shut. A man bound to chains floats in the middle of the room, meditating. Korra considers him, wondering whether she ought to be here. A moment passes, then she sits on the ground in front of the man and waits._

_“Avatar Korra.” Zaheer says opening his eyes, smiling slightly. “I had hoped you would come, but I must admit that I did not know if you would.”_

_Korra stares at him, her face serious._

_“You hurt the world, Zaheer.” She says._

_Zaheer’s face falls. It’s a statement, not an accusation. Korra wonders whether he will try to justify the consequences of his actions. It will decide what happens next._

_“As you know, I spend most of my time in the spirit world.” Zaheer starts slowly. “Few people understand how interconnected the spirit world and the physical world are, and how they affect each other. When you battled Kuvira in Republic City, I felt it. When the colossus fell, I felt it. When you…”_

_His voice falters and he looks away. Korra doesn’t think she’s ever seen him at a loss for words. Gradually, he stops levitating to rest on the floor across from her._

_“I have always believed in freedom, I still do. Spirituality has been my own path to liberation. I once thought that as the world became more spiritual that it should no longer have an Avatar to be its bridge.” He looks at Korra now, his expression pained. “But when you created the Spirit Portal, you changed both worlds in ways I had never dreamed. I was wrong, the world does need the Avatar. You succeeded where I had failed. Perhaps, ultimately, your path to freedom was wiser than mine.”_

_Korra continues to look at him, her expression changing._

_“I know what I did.” He says with regret. “I did it thinking it would make the world a better place.”_

_The two are quite for moment. Something important passes between them._

_“I know.” She says, standing. “I forgive you Zaheer.”_

_Zaheer looks up at her in surprise._

_“Not because you deserve it.” Korra explains. “But because the world has had enough resentment to last a lifetime.”_

_Zaheer nods. “You are growing very wise, Avatar.”_

_“I still have a lot to learn.”_

_“So do us all.” Zaheer says, watching her as she turns to leave. “Will you return?”_

_Korra pauses by the gate, then looks over her shoulder._

_“Yes.”_

_“Good.” Zaheer smiles, meditating back into the air._

_“We will have much to discuss.”_

.....

 

An old man levitates in the center of the room, meditating in the candlelight, dressed in robes of white. Korra quietly closes the door behind her and enters. She walks up to him and checks his breathing.

“I’m still alive, Korra.” Zaheer says, his eyes still closed.

“You can’t be too sure.” Korra quips, “It would be just like you to run off into the spirit world and leave your body behind.”

“I do not think my body would continue to hover if I was dead.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

“No,” He admits. “Not for sure.”

“Well when you die, I’ll let you know.” Korra says, only half joking.

“I’ll appreciate that.” Zaheer says, smiling slightly. He lowers himself to the ground and walks, unchained, to a tea pot at the end of the room and pours two cups. “So what brings the Avatar in to visit her decrepit old nemesis?”

“Nemesis? I could have kicked your butt in a _fair_ , one on one fight.” She jokes, accepting the cup of tea from Zaheer. “Tenzin almost did.”

“I remember.” Zaheer laughs, sipping from his cup. “But then Tenzin never unlocked the secret to flight. I don’t suppose Jinora has managed it?”

“No, too many ‘earthly tethers’.”

“A shame. Speaking of, I understand the Air Nomads are holding some kind of gathering today.”

Korra gives him a curious look. “Of course you would know about that.”

“Word travels down the spirit vine, or so they say.”

“Well if you must know,” She says slowly, watching Zaheer’s face. “They have finally finished rebuilding the Northern Air Temple.” She sets her cup down. “Jinora has called the summit to have the temple repopulated.”

Zaheer sips his tea for a moment, thinking.

“I’m glad,” he says quietly, “that they have recovered, and that my mistake did not cost them more.”

“We’re not enemies anymore Zaheer, there’s no need to dwell on the past.”

“I’m hardly sure Jinora and the other airbenders feel that way.”

“Actually,” Korra pulls a slip of paper out of her pocket and hands it to Zaheer. “Jinora asked me if you would meet with her, in the spirit world.”

“Is that so?” Zaheer sets his tea down to examine the paper. “I never thought to see the day the Air Nomads would come to me for counsel. What are they hoping I will tell them?”

She pauses for a moment, deciding how to answer. “Are you our ally, Zaheer?”

“I’m _your_ ally.”

Korra nods, as if she assumed as much. “I told Jinora you would not likely want to meet with her.”

“And what did she want?”

“To hear what you could tell her about the Red Lotus.” She says, Zaheer is silent. “She has been watching, observing the spirit and physical world, and she is concerned that the Red Lotus may be active again.”

Zaheer stares at Korra seriously, silence pressing about them. The candlelight casts shadows, looming specters watching them quietly. They seem ominous now.

When Zaheer speaks, he speaks gravely.

“I have news Korra, I think. I had hoped to be sure before I shared it with you.” He says deliberately. “Yesterday, I encountered someone in the spirit world. A man was waiting for me at Xai Bau’s Grove.”

 

“Korra, I believe the Red Lotus has returned.”

The flickering lights casting ghosts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  [ ](http://doofyarts.tumblr.com/post/108225403677/korrasami-fam-plays-flying-nonbender-click-for)
> 
> Whoot! Rei's face!!  
>  This is essentially the artwork that started my brain exploding with Rei's story, made by doofyarts. Again and again, Doofy invented the character of Rei, and did an excellent job of it. I just get to tell her story, which is a responsibility I gladly accept. If you haven't checked out doofyarts yet, what're you doing with your life?
> 
> And again, also and forever, I appreciate you guys so much. I'm now just making this note as I'm working on the fifth chapter, so...oops, slightly. But I digress. This story is a little off the beaten path, its main protagonist isn't someone people are familiar with, it's something...kind of different. It's something new in the world of LOK fanfiction, which will become more and more apparent as we progress, and that's exciting to me. I hope it's exciting to you.
> 
> I hope I don't sound presumptuous when I get excited about this story. I've never even attempted to write something this ambitious, but here it is. It's a story that wants to be told. So, if you're someone who has been following Rei for a little while now, buckle in, we've got a long way to go. If you're someone who's just joining us, stick around, it gets...interesting, and I hope to see you around.
> 
> *gets off of soapbox*
> 
> You lot sure are a bunch of lovely birds, en't ya? (what?)


	3. Resurgence

Korra stares stupidly at Zaheer, dumbfounded, her mouth actually hanging open. It was one thing to listen to speculation about resurrected terrorists, but to hear confirmed that they were again organized and powerful was another. She doesn’t want to imagine that her old nightmares might be slithering around in the shadows behind her.

“What the _hell_ does that mean Zaheer?”

“You sound surprised, I thought this was the whole reason for your visit?”

“No, it wasn’t, I-” Korra stammers, pounding the heel of her hand into the ground. “Jinora had her suspicions, but it’s been nearly forty years. I had assumed she was being paranoid, she’s like that. Like her father was.”

“Assumed, or hoped?”

“Shut up.”

“Jinora and Tenzin have always been careful, not paranoid, Korra. Your frustration is making you irrational.”

_“Shut up.”_

Zaheer says no more, but watches the Avatar sternly, waiting for her anger to fade. Gradually she regains her composure, closing her eyes, returning to stillness using the breathing exercises he taught her years ago.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“Stop,” Zaheer raises his hand, cutting her off, “You have grown, over the years, to become a pillar of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. You are too wise to be ruled by your emotions.” He sees her absorb his scolding quietly, her resolve subduing her emotions. There’s an undercurrent of fear that he can see she doesn’t understand, and his look softens.

“Korra, you have overcome your past; it did not, and cannot, destroy you.” He says reassuringly, “You are faced with the possibility that you may need to confront it again, and you cannot expect that it will not affect you.” He looks hard into her eyes. “You are not being frightened by ghosts, Korra, you have mastered that era of your life. No, you are frightened because learning this has made you question whether you have grown from it at all.

“Look at me, Korra, the subject of the nightmares you once had. Are you afraid of me?” Zaheer can see that she is beginning to understand.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not even a little.”

Zaheer nods. “You are not afraid of the Red Lotus, you are afraid of yourself, of whether there is fear secretly rooted in your mind.” His hand covers hers in reassurance. “I know that there is not. Once you understand the source of your concern, you can see that you are just as strong as you thought you were. Cut free this tether, and let it go.”

Korra considers Zaheer’s words and herself for moment, and then visibly relaxes as she sees the truth about the matter. She picks up her tea, shaking her head with a short laugh. “You and your damned tethers.”

Zaheer smiles as she drinks from her cup, cooler now than it was. “You have always had a youthful spirit, it’s hardly surprising to find that you still get worked up over nothing.”

“Yeah, sometimes.” Korra concedes, taking another deep breath before becoming serious again. “I need you to tell me about what happened in the spirit world.”

“Shame, we were dangerously close to returning to a casually civil conversation.”

“Zaheer.”

“Very well. But this is simply conjecture.” He says, serious even as he sips his tea. “The evidence is substantial, but not conclusive.”

“In what way?”

“First in that the man knew to meet me at Xai Bau’s Grove.”

 

.....

 

_Zaheer can still remember when he met his mentor. He was an angry youth with a penchant for wrecking things, in the company of a tall young firebender with powers that she was struggling to understand and control. She was beautiful, and fierce, and fatally timid, if you could believe that. He had not meant for P’Li to follow him, but he couldn’t well leave her to the fate those awful men had planned for her. She clung to him like a life raft, after that, lost and afraid. From that day he had protected her and kept her safe. Even then Zaheer was as steadfast and immovable as the sky, and neither of them thought it was odd that a non-bender might be the guardian of a bender._

_Xai Bau found him battered and alone, struggling with his last ounce of strength to protect P’Li. He saw his potential, and helped him rescue P’Li for the second time, from men who feared what they did not understand, and would do her harm._

_Zaheer was a swirling ball of angst and rage when he first came under Xai Bau’s tutelage, lashing out even at the one who had pulled him and his friend out of the fire. Over time, however, Xai Bau would show Zaheer what it meant to be a spiritual person, to pursue truth in all its forms. He explained to him the merits of true personal freedom, and how a world shackled by lies and greed led to the society that spurned him and P’Li._

_So when Zaheer finally learned to meditate into the spirit world, he and his mentor would often go to the same place, that peaceful place by the trees and the river. Sometimes they would speak philosophy, and other times they would simply sit and listen to the running water and passing spirits. And when Xai Bau passed away, Zaheer called the place Xai Bau’s Grove, and dared anyone to say otherwise._

_No one did._

_The spirit world was a huge place, after all. Unfathomably huge._

_And that’s why Zaheer was surprised so many years later to find someone waiting for him there._

_A cloaked and hooded man was sitting beneath his favorite tree, a Pai Sho board spread out on the ground in front of him._

_“Ah, a visitor. Well, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.” Zaheer says nonchalantly, as if this were not the first time this had happened. “I am afraid, however, that I have forgotten my pieces in the physical realm.”_

_The stranger pushes a polished wooden box towards him._

_“Thoughtful.” Zaheer says, looking into the box to see exactly the set of pieces he once owned, the pieces he left behind almost forty years ago._

_“You are very thorough.” Far from disconcerted, he gestures his hand at the man in front of him. “Please.”_

_The man finally speaks. “The guest has the first move.”_

_“But just who is the guest here?”_

_The stranger hesitates for a moment, and then places his piece. A white lotus tile in the center of the board._

_“Not many still cling to the ancient ways.”_

_“But those who do can always find a friend.” The man says coolly._

_“Then let us play.”_

_Zaheer and the man both start putting pieces on the board, but the stranger stops before he’s finished and frowns at Zaheer’s placement. One side of the board almost resembles a flowering diamond, but the other is arranged in a more flowing, regimented strategy._

_“The White Lotus Gambit.” Zaheer says observing the man’s unfinished, blossoming formation. “A very old tradition, but…” He moves his pieces twice, not waiting for his opponent to respond, and takes the white lotus tile in the center of the board, “…not very practical.”_

_The stranger’s frown deepens as he stares at the board._

_“Are you still an ambassador of truth and freedom, Zaheer?”_

_“Such is my purpose.”_

_“And yet, you are not free.”_

_Zaheer looks around him, the open expanses of rolling hills and running rivers of the spirit world. He flexes his unbound hands and waves to a passing spirit._

_“Funny,” says Zaheer, watching the spirit go on its way, “I feel free.” He turns to watch the cloaked man begin collecting the Pai Sho tiles. “I have enjoyed your company, but do have a name, stranger?”_

_“My name is not important.” He says without looking up._

_“That sounds familiar.”_

_The man collects the board and places it neatly by the tree; he stands and looks to Zaheer._

_“Your people need you, Zaheer, and we can bring you home. I will return here soon, I hope to speak with you then.”_

_Then he disappears, cloak and all._

.....

Korra quietly contemplates what Zaheer has just told her, thinking about what it implies, what to do about it.

“That sounds pretty conclusive to me.”

“The man never said he was a member of the Red Lotus.”

“But you think he is?”

“Yes, though I had hoped to meet him a second time to be sure.”

“Well, that’s good enough for me.” She furrows her brow, frustrated. “I need to take this to the White Lotus, and President Vinaya.” She drops her head into her hands. “Why now, Zaheer?”

“Hmm?”

“Why _now?_ The guy seems pretty confident he can bust you out of here, so the Red Lotus must be strong again, but why are they trying to make a move now?” Korra bits her lip, concentrating. “You don’t think they’d do something at the Spirits Festival?”

“Probably not. They’d probably start somewhere more vulnerable.” Zaheer thinks about it. “The Arch Governor’s reelection is this year.”

“Shit.” Korra says, pinching her brow. “There’s a parade in Omashu, two days from now. It’s as good a place as any to start.” She sighs and sets her cup down again. “I have to go Zaheer.”

“Until next time then.”

Korra hesitates, sitting and looking embarrassed, strangely enough.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Ask away.”

“It’s the Spirits Festival.”

“Yes it is.”

“Would you…” She takes a deep breath, “…meet me and my daughter in the spirit world, on the last day?

Zaheer looks at Korra, surprise written on his face. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“I want her to see the merits of forgiveness.” Korra says with a small smile.

“Of course, Korra,” he says slowly, “I understand that she may need that.” He stands and collects Korra’s teacup, taking it to the back of the room. “Will Asami be joining us?”

Korra’s smile falls, slightly. “I…don’t think she’d want to go.”

Zaheer turns and raises an eyebrow.

“It’s just…lately things have been…not like they used to be.”

“You should talk to her.”

The candles still flicker, casting dim light, painting prancing shadows; still ominous, but not as frightening as they were. Korra’s stands and moves slowly to the door.

“Thanks, Zaheer.” She says quietly.

“Any time.”

 

 

 

A deep water-tribe-blue satomobile cruises away from Yue Bay and along the Kuei River, the immaculately waxed vehicle shining in the evening sun. There are newer, sleeker, models on the roads, but Asami has always had a weakness for vintage. She drives the satomobile along the winding river road, Rei in the passenger seat, Bolin and Pabu in the back, both apparently suffering from ‘meat coma’.

“Wow, what a couple of whipped losers.” Rei says, laughing at her near comatose friends. “Opal’s gone for a couple days and they nearly rip their guts open gorging kabobs and steak.”

“…Pabu and I… are not… whipped… we’re… opportunists…” Bolin mumbles as he holds his stomach. Pabu squeaks weakly.

“Aren’t you a little _old_ for red meat anyways?”

“Heartburn…nothing…no pain…no gai-” He stops himself and covers his mouth for moment, and then lays back down to massage his bloated belly.

“Uh huh.” Rei smirks.

Asami turns to Rei and gives her a mischievous smile. “Well I guess they won’t be hungry for dinner.”

Bolin bolts straight up in his seat. “Now wait just one moment-” He freezes, realizing that he’s gotten up too fast. His face turns a sever shade of green as he leans across and vomits over the side of the car.

“All better…” He says wheezing. “Just going to lay down for a minute…”

Asami wrinkles her nose, but Rei is doubled up next to her laughing.

“Good one Ma’,” she says, still chuckling.

“Aw,” Asami teases Rei, pinching her cheek, one hand on the wheel, “you haven’t called me ma’ in forever.”

“Whatever.” Rei says pushing her hand away. “Is Korra going to make it dinner tonight?”

Asami sighs quietly. “Well I certainly hope so.”

“She has been away a lot lately.” Rei says, watching her mother. “Are you and mom ok?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.” She absently rubs the ring on her finger. “Bolin mentioned you were talking to some guy at the festival?” Asami says, changing the subject.

Rei gives Asami a sideways look, but decides to let it go. “Yeah, it was weird. He showed me this old book and I think he invited me to some kind of philosophers club.”

“Hmm. Sounds kind of like the White Lotus, what they used to be like anyway.” Asami says, pondering. “What was his name?”

“Rokkel.”

“Weird.”

Rei is quiet for a moment, thinking about what Rokkel said to her, whether to talk about it or not.

_“You’re a long way from the Earth Kingdom, Rei.”_

She knows this, where she came from, where her parents found her, and yet… Rei looks to her mother, Asami seems lost in her own thoughts. Maybe she'd wait, bring it up later.

 

.....

 

When Korra arrives at the house, it is well after midnight. The wooden door creeks open slowly, she stands just outside it, waiting in the doorway. She shouldn’t have walked the whole way, she thinks. Then again, maybe that was the whole point. Korra wonders how upset Asami is, whether she’s still expecting her to come in and share a bed with her. Whether she even wants her to.

Slowly, she steps into their living room. Their house isn’t small by any means, but it’s quaint, removed from the city. Bolin is snoring on their couch, Pabu curled up on the armrest. She smiles sadly at them, remembering when things were simpler. Something twists inside her chest, like fear, or heartbreak maybe. It doesn’t seem as long ago as it was, but she’s older now and sometimes it’s hard to deal with.

Bolin’s taken the couch, she doesn’t want to wake Asami. Maybe she should just come back in the morning.

 

.....

 

_Dark figures glide past Rei, as she sits on an earthy floor. The specters are hard to make out, they keep shifting from one form to another like peripheral ghosts. One moment, they’re Asami and Korra, floating over to smile and hold her hand; the next moment they take the forms of two strangers, a man and a woman with blurry faces, and she can’t help but love them in her raw, simple way._

_The smell of breakfast wafts in from the kitchen, and soon she’s rolling around with glee. She can feel the warmth of the oven from here. Delicately, Rei stands up and clumsily runs to kitchen in short, excited strides. She’s in the doorway, and then she falls. Her knee. Ow. She’s going to cry, tears start welling up, threatening to spill over to the stone floor. And then the man with the uncertain face is holding her in the air, smiling softly, singing with Korra’s voice. It’s a strange song._

_“And so came Akuma_

_of the black sun_

_a sound to shake the earth,_

_and a shadow over your heart.”_

 

 _Rei’s back on the floor. How did she get here? People are running around outside. Singing. Shouting? She can hear them. She can_ feel _them through the stones._

_The oven’s gotten warmer. Breakfast is almost ready. Ow. It’s too warm. It’s hot. Someone’s singing. Shouting. Korra is wrestling with shadows at the door, and then she gets bright like the sun. And warm. Too warm. It hurts. Rei tries to run away. She’s going to cry._

_And then the uncertain woman is carrying her out of the house, running down the streets, dashing around corners. Rei looks to the sky. There’s a big funny cloud high above them, swimming around in heaven. The woman sings in Asami’s voice. She’s crying so hard. Rei is going to drown in the river of her tears._

_“You say you do not have many friends, would like som- NO! PLEASE!”_

_Shadows. Shadows on the road, with hands bright like the sun. The woman is throwing stones at them, but they march forward. Inexorable. Asami pushes her into an alley, singing at her. Shouting. Rei runs clumsily in short, frightened strides. She’s running, and running, and the day turns to night, and all the buildings glow a little dimmer. She’s curled up on the ground. How’d she get here? Voices. She hears voices. Rei stumbles out onto the cobblestones._

_This is where Korra finds her, she’s safe now._

_But there’s Rokkel, sitting in the square, words she can’t read etched into his face._

_“All alone.” He says. “Except for other dragons.”_

_A dark monster slithering out of the shadows behind him. Something that feels horribly like wings sliding out of her skin._

Rei wakes up covered in sweat. She sits in her bed, head in her hands and tries a breathing exercise Korra taught her once. It doesn’t work. She holds her knees instead, rocking back and forth until her heart no longer feels like it going to break out of her ribs.

It’s been a while since she’s had _that_ dream, a month or two at least. There’s the anger, there’s the fear she’s familiar with. It fades. Every time the same thing. Except the singing, and Rokkel. That was new.

Breathing easy now, she gets shakily to her feet. Drained. Feeling vulnerable and numb at the same time. Fresh air, she could use some fresh air. She walks into the hallway to find a woman standing alone in the living room, looking at her hands.

“Mom?”

And suddenly Rei is stumbling into Korra’s arms, clinging desperately, like a child again. The frightened little girl, scared and lonely, looking for her parents in the dark.

 

.....

 

Korra holds Rei securely, stroking her daughter’s hair. How could she ever think to leave when she is still a mother? She chokes back what feels dangerously like a sob. When did she become the child looking for comfort in the night?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, do not panic! I have no intention of splitting up Korrasami! Whew..
> 
> I initially meant to make the chapter longer and get into Korra and Asami's issues, but I wanted to focus on Rei in the end. So look forward to some cool Korrasami first thing next chapter.
> 
> The storm's gathering mates, you can see it on the horizon.
> 
>  
> 
> Any comments, criticism, love or hate, feel free to leave it down below!


	4. The Song Remains...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This ones all about Korra and Asami.

Moonlight shimmers in the small stream behind the house and jade chimes sway gently in the light breeze in the yard. Korra has always liked them, the way the chimes sound, though she can’t remember exactly when she got them, or why. It was a long time ago she’s sure, they’ve always seemed so familiar. For some reason they remind her of sunrise.

Korra sits on the back porch, letting the night flow around her, her daughter asleep on her shoulder. Rei told her about the dream, about how long she’s been having it. Over a year now. Korra had hoped when they adopted her that she would be too young to remember, but she should’ve known better. Some memories are not dealt with so easily. And she can remember her real parents, in a way. Korra wonders if she misses them, what it must be like to miss someone you never really knew.

Slowly, carefully, Korra picks up Rei and carries her into the house. The girl’s a young woman now, heavier than she used to be, but Korra remembers a time when she picked up Tenzin’s whole family by herself. The memory is bittersweet. She’s not that old yet that she can’t carry her daughter if she wants.

Rei’s eyes slowly open and she squirms weakly. “Mom…I’m not a kid anymore…” she mutters tiredly, struggling to stay awake.

 “Shh,” Korra says quietly, “just let me pretend that you are, for little while.” Rei stops moving around and leans her head against her mother’s chest, resigning.

 “…you know…I’m taller than you now…” Rei murmurs, eyes closed with a small smile.

 “Whatever.” Korra smiles, no matter how old she gets, Rei will still be her little girl.

The door to Rei’s room is still open, thankfully. Korra carefully steps around the few half-built gadgets and scattered laundry on the floor. Posters adorn the walls. By the door is one for a weird, independent action-drama mover that Korra never really understood, called “Citiz-In-Sane”; next to the window is a flyer for the 10th Annual Mech-athon, a robotics competition Asami had started years ago where Rei had come in second place; and over the bed is the poster for the Grizzly Sharks, the pro bending team Rei used to belong to. Korra remembers that she had offered to let Rei use her old team name, the Fire Ferrets, but she refused, insisting on blazing her own trails. The Grizzly Sharks did all right, they made it into the finals regularly, but the waterbender on their team started getting a little too flirty and Rei wound up leaving, after a few words (and blows) were exchanged.

She was still friends with the firebender though, Akiko. Well, Korra thought she was, it had been a while since she’d seen the girl. Rei didn’t make a lot of friends, Korra hoped that she would keep the ones she had.

Gently Korra lays her daughter down on the bed and pulls the covers over her. She leans down and kisses Rei on the forehead, who in turn wrinkles her nose.

 “Ugh, Korra you’re such a sap…”

 “Nerd.” Korra teases, whispering. “I love you, sweetie.”

 “I love you too, mom.” Rei reaches across and lightly punches Korra in the leg. “Now go talk to Asami.”

 “Alright.”

Korra quietly walks out of the room, slowly shutting the door behind her. She takes a deep breath.

 

 

.....

 

Asami wasn’t in her room, couldn’t sleep, she had so far spent the night upstairs in her office instead. There was work to do, but it didn’t seem like the right time for it. Instead she was painting, nothing particularly special or elaborate, just her and a few watercolors trying to paint a memory. It was a supposed to be a man and his daughter on a bench at the park, but she was having some trouble with the faces. The girl’s smile looked too sad, and the father’s eyes… She couldn’t find the right shade of red. It was hard to forget that sharp, piercing color, but it was also getting harder to remember it. Oxymoronic. Over and over again. It was frustrating.

There were no color photographs of her father, she thought, not for the first time, with regret.

Her office was right above the front door, so she heard it open as Korra _finally_ came home. Somehow, it felt like she had managed to sigh and hold her breath at the same time. Contradicting herself again, it must be getting really late. She set her brush down, waiting to hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs, but after a while she heard the door open and close again instead. Asami felt her heart sink, the lines under eyes get heavier. This time she only sighs.

Of course she was sad, a little. But it was more than that. It wasn’t anger, maybe if she had been younger, but not anymore. She was just _tired_.

She might’ve been upset if Korra had forgotten, she thought she had at first. Today wasn’t just the first day of the Spirits Festival.

Asami had grown out of her grief a long time ago. It wasn’t easy. It didn’t seem fair that her father had been taken away from her. Not after they had reconciled, when he proved himself to be exactly the man she had remembered and admired, the man before his anger. At first his death had been like a hole in her chest, but Korra was there. So patient, so stubborn, refusing to let her wallow in her grief. Her father wouldn’t have wanted her to waste her time in mourning, so she celebrated his legacy instead. And the spirit portal, the fall of Kuvira, the new world that had thrived afterwards, that was as much as his legacy as it was hers or Korra’s.

She had come to remember him in the easy laughter of her childhood. And if her smile was sometimes sad, well, it was still a smile.

Every year before attending the spirit festival she would visit her father’s grave, where he was buried next to her mother. She would sit there quietly, and leave flowers when she left. Korra had started a tradition of telling a joke, not to her, but to her parents every year. Somehow it helped to imagine them sitting there, laughing at Korra’s cheesy jokes, happy for the peace she’d finally found.

 

But when she woke up this morning, she had only found a note from Korra on the dresser by the bed.

_‘Gone to see Z. Will be back for dinner. Love you.’_

That was disappointing, to say the least. She read the note again, sighed, and immediately rolled back over to sleep.

It was Rei that woke her up a few hours later.

 _“Asami,”_ she had said, shaking her roughly at the shoulder, _“it’s going to be noon in like an hour. I’m assuming you want to visit your parents before we pick up Bolin.”_

It was Rei’s semi-abrasive way of worrying about her, and making sure she was alright. Asami had smiled despite herself, and finally got out of bed. It had been a while since she’d slept in to almost eleven, maybe that’s why she couldn’t get any sleep tonight.

Well one of the reasons, anyways.

She had let Rei drive to the gravesite, who jumped at the opportunity. Rei drove like a car was a natural extension of herself, leaps and bounds ahead of Korra at the same age, or even now, which Asami always found amusing.

The whole way there, she had assumed that Korra had forgotten. It hurt, a little, but she had been so distant lately that it shouldn’t have surprised her. What did surprise her were the lilies already lain between the headstones, and the note nestled between them.

 

_‘Mr. and Mrs. Sato, Hiroshi and Yasuko, it’s a beautiful morning. Your daughter will be here soon, please tell her that I’m sorry for meeting you alone, I hope she’ll understand. I know you’re waiting for your annual comedic genius, but this year I think it’s your granddaughter’s turn to make you smile._

_-Love, Korra.’_

Asami had let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. It wasn’t what she’d wanted, but at least Korra had remembered. At least she was sorry that she’d gone without her.

Rei laid down some wildflowers next to the lilies, then sat and looked for all the world like she was going to speak to the invisible forms of her mother and father.

 “What’s a pirate’s favorite letter?”

Asami rolled her eyes and responded on her parents’ behalf. “Is it the letter ‘R’?”

 “You would think so,” Rei had said, pausing for effect, “but it’s actually the ‘C’.”

Asami had laughed then, harder than she had in weeks. The ‘C’. Ha. It had been a minute since she’d heard a good nautical joke. It reminded her of Varrick, a little.

 

But now she was sitting alone in her office, painting by herself. Korra hadn’t made it home for dinner, but she had almost expected that. She hadn’t taken either of the satomobiles, and she was pretty sure she hadn’t gone to Air Temple Island for a sky bison since she had been so adamant about spending time alone lately. So she must’ve walked the whole way, because _of course_ she would. But just as Asami was worrying about where Korra would end up staying tonight, she heard the door open again.

Now she didn’t know what she was feeling.

Maybe a little less tired.

It took sometime to hear Korra coming up the stairs, long enough for her to start wondering whether she had decided to sleep on the floor. It wasn’t something she’d done before, but it wouldn’t surprise her if she decided to start. But the footsteps in the hallway gradually stepped closer, pausing at their bedroom, moving on towards the dim light in her office. Asami started putting her things away, carefully organizing the watercolors, closing them into a drawer. Whether she’d realized it or not, she had been waiting for Korra to come home. Well, she was home, now would be a good time to finally get some sleep.

Asami heard her at the door, but didn’t look up from arranging her things. Korra sits in the chair beside her, waiting for her to finish.

“Korra, I’m too tired to fight.” She sighs, propping up her painting so that it can dry properly.

“I don’t want to fight,” Korra was looking at her, while Asami was doing her best to look straight ahead, “do you?”

Asami paused, pressing the palm of her hand into her cheek. “I don’t know.”

Gently, Korra takes her hand and pulls it into her lap, her thumb rubbing the burn mark that runs from the knuckle of her thumb to her wrist.

“When did this happen?”

“Henfaa’s rebellion,” Asami whispers, her frustration fading. “You were there.”

Korra nods slowly, looking up, her hand now reaching for Asami’s face, caressing the scar that starts above her right eye and ends at her cheek.

“And this?”

“Engineering mishap, you met me at the hospital, remember?” Closing her eyes, Asami furrows her brow. Conflicting emotions. “Korra…”

Before she can say anything else, Korra begins tracing the lines on her face, the wrinkles at her eyes. She doesn’t look Asami in the eye, just watches the lines that come by getting older, with a mixture of reverence and sadness.

“And these?” Korra says almost too quiet to hear.

“Old age.” Asami grabs Korra’s hand and pulls it away from her face, but she doesn’t let it go. “You have them too.” She says, looking at the lines under her eyes.

Korra forces a smile. “We’re not that old yet.”

“It’ll be any day now.” The dim lamplight shines softly on the sapphire of Korra’s betrothal necklace. Asami bites her lip and watches Korra’s eyes carefully. “Why have you been so distant lately?”

The question is bigger than the day, than the last several days even, Korra knows that. “I’m sorry Asami, I just… I don’t know, I’ve just been thinking myself to death. Remembering how things were.”

“Is it Tenzin?”

Korra breathes in sharply, her hand unconsciously clenches Asami’s. “No.” She shakes her head deliberately. “Ok, yes. Kind of. But that was forever ago...”

“It was only last month.” Asami’s softly rubs her thumb against Korra’s knuckles, her grip loosens. “It’s ok to grieve Korra, we’ve both been there. But you can’t just close yourself off like this.”

The moonlight coming from the window bathes Korra’s figure in something ethereal, the features of her face, the habits of her expression cast in bas-relief. Her hair, streaked with gray, still has more color than Asami’s. She still looks so beautiful, though Asami wonders if Korra can still see that about herself.

“We spent so much time flirting with danger back then, so many adventures.” Korra looks over to Asami’s painting, her eyes full of reluctant resignation. “It never really occurred to me that I’d grow old, how everything would keep changing. I mean, I thought that was the point. Change. But it’s just… when Tenzin was gone, I just couldn’t help but think about it.”

“Think about what?” Though Asami thinks she knows where Korra is going with this.

“That someday I’ll be gone, that I’m well over the hill of my life. I can fight spirits and people and machines, but I can’t fight _time._ And what’s worse than that, what’s so much worse than that, is thinking that you or Rei might go before me, and there’s nothing I could do about it.” Korra stares into Asami’s eyes now, looking like she’s already lost her. “We’ve had some close calls, but there’s always been a plan, something to struggle against. I can’t fight against getting old,” she runs her free hand through Asami’s hair, almost all shades of gray now, “I can’t fight against this.”

“Korra,” Asami embraces her wife, holds her closely, “I’m your partner, not your mentor, so I know I don’t usually get to be the one to dole out wisdom… but don’t mourn us before we’re gone.” Slowly, she rocks her side to side, just like she did all those years ago, when Korra was in that chair. Just like Korra did for her after she lost her father. “Enjoy your family while we’re all still here. We need you.”

“I’m sorry.” Korra says, her face nestled against Asami’s chest. They both stay like that for a while, holding each other quietly, swaying to soft breeze on the open window.

“I miss him.” Korra whispers, gradually letting go of Asami.

“I know.” They both stand. Asami turns out her lamplight and closes the window. The two of them walk silently down the hall and into their bedroom. Asami, already dressed for bed, crawls under the covers as Korra changes into her sleeping clothes and slides in next to her. They lie across from each other, foreheads pressed together, eyes closed, listening to each other breathe for a while.

“I need to meet with Vinaya and fly to Omashu tomorrow.” Korra whispers.

“Korra…”

“You and Rei could come with, if you want.”

Asami looks up and brushes a strand of hair behind Korra’s ear. “Of course, you’re not leaving us behind.” She can see that Korra is worried about something, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the Red Lotus, it might be. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“We’ll be ok, you know that.” Asami says consolingly, though her brow creases with worry of her own. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Korra slides closer to Asami and wraps her arms around her. “No. I just want to be here with you, to get some sleep.” She rubs her forehead against Asami’s shoulder. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Asami pulls away from Korra and looks into her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Korra kisses her, her lips lingering, staying close when they break apart. “Even if I could never win against time,” she leans in and kisses her again with a small smile on her face, “I don’t think time could ever do anything to make you any less beautiful.”

“So does that make me stronger than the Avatar?” Asami says playfully, touching Korra on the nose.

“You’ve always been stronger than me.” Korra says, kissing her wife again before she can respond.

The two women fall asleep in each other’s arms, their daughter resting down the hall. A moonlit stream shimmers in the night, glistening under jade chimes. The rise and fall of soft breathing, the sound of running water, the quiet unchorded music of time dancing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  [ ](http://doofyarts.tumblr.com/post/107556746307/older-korrasami-sketch)
> 
> Here's some pretty sweet Korrasami art for our Korrasami chapter, to soften your heart into mush. As always, the art comes from the ever-talented doofyarts on tumblr. Click the picture to go to her page.
> 
> Ah man, sorry (to the few awesome people who sort of follow this story) that this chapter took so long. I'm behind now, but I'll try and have the next one up by this weekend***.
> 
> So what do you guys think about Korra's sorta mid-life crisis? I thought it was appropriate for her, for someone who lives so fully in the present to be shaken by the loss of some who has always been an anchor for them. To reevaluate, struggle dealing with it, ect. As always, leave a comment, tell me what you think! Love, hate, praise, critiques, all the things!
> 
> Next chapter we'll get back into progressing the main story arc, introducing a few new characters, and getting ready to go to new places. I hope someone out there is as excited as I am.
> 
>  
> 
> *update* - I'll be honest. Korra. Asami. Rei. The Universe. Inconsequential. What I really want to know, all that I desire, is what you thought about that pirate line, that divine comedic gold, how it rocked your world. Just admit it. It's ok. *consoling back pat*
> 
> *** - oops, did I say this weekend? I totally meant neeext weekend....sorry.


	5. Rapunza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolin predicts the next 'Nuktuk' mover, the family prepares to fly to Omashu, Rei tries to find out whether she still has a friend, and a new character is sufficiently weird enough to join our crew.

**_  
_**

Rei wasn’t about to say they kept an ‘In case of Bolin’ separate food supply, but she wasn’t going to say they didn’t either. It was hard to be sure, because she didn’t think they normally kept enough food in the house to make this large of a breakfast without going hungry for a week.  She’d asked Korra about it once, who’d only had a noncommittal shrug to provide for response.

Still, she had to admit, it was entertaining to watch Bolin attack a meal like an angry platypus-bear’s first day out of hibernation.  

“Bo’,” she playfully elbowed him the ribs between bites of waffle, which deterred him not at all, “You should probably slow down right? Or are you trying to go further into the depths of a comatose food state than anyone has ever dared, before lunch?”

Bolin took the moment to swallow before speaking. Bad manners were one thing, and tolerated (and sometimes encouraged). Bad manners at Asami’s table, however, were another thing entirely.

“Yes, of course! Nuktuk’s final adventure!” Bolin says, striking a heroic pose. Asami grins and rolls her eyes. “Nuktuk, Hero of the South, joins the mysterious ranks of the _Bacon Monks_ , learning their secrets so that he may defeat the diabolical… _Rei, and her legion of rabid bat-squirrels!_ ” He suddenly turns on Rei, spoon in hand, who in turn draws her fork and reciprocates. They lock eyes, faces serious as ever. Asami is biting her hand to keep from laughing. “It is among the halls of the Bacon Monks, in the depths of darkest food coma in a thousand years, that Nuktuk will unlock the lost power of flight. Let go your hungry tether, enter the food void, eat and become _wind!_ ”

“But then the despicable Rei summoned the ever-feared _Opal_ to pull Nuktuk down from his lofty heights!” Rei exclaims, gesturing to the doorway. Bolin’s eyes open wide with apprehension as he looks over his shoulder, and Rei uses the distraction to knock the spoon from his hand.

“Ah, defeated by tricks and subterfuge!” Bolin looks back from the doorway, in which Korra, not Opal, stands. Asami is doubled over laughing and Korra just smirks and punches Bolin lightly on the shoulder as she walks to the table.

Korra sits beside Asami, who is wiping tears from her eyes, and starts making a plate for herself. Rei can’t help but notice that her parents seem more comfortable around each other this morning, that Korra seems less distant. Good. About time. She quietly celebrates by flicking a grape at Bolin, earning only a mildly scolding look from Asami.

“And so ends the legacy of Nuktuk, beaten by a teenage girl.”

“Don’t worry, he comes back in the sequel.” Bolin says nonchalantly, reaching for a cinnamon roll. “A grief stricken Avatar and her mad scientist wife resurrect him with spirit beams in _‘The Return of Nuktuk, A Quest for Vengeance’._ It’ll be a huge hit. _”_ Asami and Korra exchange amused looks. “So when are we leaving for Omashu?”

Asami raises an eyebrow. “We? You want to come?”

“Yeah, sure! Sounds fun! Well not the possible Red Lotus stuff, but the parade seems cool. Plus, if the airbenders are going to meet us there, that’s even better! Maybe I can surprise Opal, or something.”

“Well, our plane leaves this afternoon if you want to come with.” Asami says, smiling. Korra grunts something like a _‘hell yeah’_ through a mouthful of fruit and receives an elbow in the shoulder from her wife.

Korra swallows, and rubs her shoulder, fork in hand in the event of another assault. Bolin tries, and fails, to stifle a laugh, but Rei looks at her parents thoughtfully.

“I know that face.” Korra says, noticing her daughter’s expression. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well I was just thinking,” Rei rubs the back of her neck, suddenly awkward, “if we’re going to be in the area, you know, maybe we could stop by Zaofu.”

“Metalbending?”

“Yeah.”

Korra nods knowingly. “Well, if anyone can help you figure it out, it’s Su’.”

“I’d hope so. It’s just…” Rei grasps at the air futilely. It was just aggravating was what it was. Frustrating. Infuriating. A pain in the ass. “I can _feel_ metal, I just can’t make it _do_ anything.”

A hand pats her on the back consolingly, Bolin’s hand. She slouches and glowers at him, entirely un-consoled.

“Cheer up, look at the bright side! That’s still better than I could ever do.” Bolin grins good-naturedly, oblivious to her withering glare. “I can only feel metal if I’m pressed right up against it, so you must be on to _something_.”

Exasperated, Rei sighs and jabs Bolin in the side with her spoon. It’s an affectionate gesture, for her. Korra looks on and laughs.

“I’ll call Su’ before we leave. She’s been bored since she retired, I bet she’ll appreciate a student.”

“Thanks,” Rei makes to flip her spoon in the air, but catches Asami watching and reconsiders. Better safe than sorry. She stares intently at it instead. “Also, I’m going to invite ‘Kiko, if that’s alright. I think my hair is going to turn gray if keep hanging out with senior citizens.”

Asami gives her a quizzical look. “I didn’t know you guys still talked.”

Focusing on the spoon, Rei concentrates on the impurities in the metal. They’re there, she can feel them. She tries to bend it, just a little.

“Oh yeah, we do.”

Nothing.

“Totally.”

 

 

“Akiko! Where the hell are you? The match starts in half an hour!”

Above the hubbub of passing satomobiles and chatting pedestrians, a young woman lounges in the attic of an old house in the heart of downtown Republic City. New Downtown. Old Downtown belongs to the spirits now. Has been for the last thirty-four years. It’s one of the few houses in the area that still has a stone exterior; most everything else was made of wood. Granite walls and rocky windows. Sturdy, if a little drafty in the winter.

 _And we picked this place, no accident,_ Akiko thinks to herself, smiling innocently.

Footsteps pound up the stairs, someone tries the doorknob. Good luck. Been locked for a while now.

“Yo ‘Kiko!” An unmistakably masculine voice echoes from behind the door, knocking frantically. “We have got to _go!”_

Akiko rolls her scarlet eyes, she tosses a smooth stone pebble from hand to hand. Good ol’ river pebble. All green, and red, and weird. Never pestering for stupid things.

“’Kiko! C’mon!”

“Oh, give it a rest.” Akiko says back, speaking sternly, not shouting. She never shouts. “We didn’t make the finals, and I’m not a _spectator._ I’m not going.”

“Ugh, you are too damn stubborn!” The voice yells back. No qualms about shouting there. “We need to _go_ so we can find a new _sponsor_ , and we need you-”

“Satku, I swear to Roku’s flaming, spirty, ghost, if you say you need me to be the _pretty face of the team¸_ I will singe the eyebrows off your face.”

The voice is silent for a moment. “…You are totally never this mean. Are you on your-”

“Your friggin eyebrows Satku! _And no!_ ”

Ok, that was almost shouting. Almost.

“Whatever. Stay here then, be a sore loser. Mahno and I are going.”

Another eye roll. She really isn’t this mean, usually. If mean is what you want to call it. Fed up, those are the words she’d use. Some pro bending teams have an ‘off season’ from time to time, well they’d had a totally ‘shit season’. And it was Satku’s fault anyways. They had once had a solid earthbender on the team. Passionate. Unrelenting. This new guy, Mahno, the opposite. Timid. Impulsive. How those words could ever go together is beyond her. It’s not like they ever won the championship anyways, but before they’d gotten close. Now… well now they wouldn’t stand a chance for years. She can hear the door slam downstairs, and she knows her teammates are gone.

She flicks ol’ river pebble onto the stone windowsill, more out of habit than anything. Watches it for a while. Nothing.

Satku, damnit. Thought for the longest time there might be more to that guy, and who knows there might be. Couldn’t tell though, especially not in the last month. She should’ve left then, now she’s just got nothing better to do, nowhere else to go.

A couple of folks are arguing down on the street, there’s some horns blaring, sounds like a satomobile running up on the curb. Close miss, if she can guess anything without looking. Someone down there is driving like a maniac. Or like a pro. Or a maniac pro. She looks over to the pebble again. Still as it ever was. As it has been.

Getting an actual job was something to consider, or it would be if she’d had any marketable skills. Somehow ‘Experienced Butt-Whooping Firebender’ didn’t translate into a lot of job fields. The only career back home that would accept that on a resume would be the Fire Nation Army. Akiko shudders at the thought. She wouldn’t give her father the satisfaction. Besides, with the way things were right now, it was better safe than sorry to keep away from the military. She could’ve went to the University like her parents’ had wanted, but Republic City was more than she could keep away from. The excitement, the lights, the _action_ … the bums, the flimsy apartments, the two-faced land lords. Those were the parts no one ever advertised. Pro bending was fun, but now it was starting to feel like a chore. She didn’t get paid enough for the losing streak.

Pressing the back of her head into the wall, she closes her eyes. If this kept up, she might have to go back home. Or try anyways. It was almost too much to imagine the smug looks on her parents’ faces. She just could never focus long enough for the University. It wasn’t that she couldn’t study if she wanted to, but it was too much work to unscramble all those bigger words in her head. It was like solving a puzzle and winning a migraine for the trouble. Besides, sitting still too long, she’d get the _itch._ Get up. Get away. Do something. And right now it felt like her whole body was on fire.

The team sucked, she was bored, and Rei was gone. Been gone. Couldn’t blame her though, not really. They’d had strong start this season, won the first two matches, no contest. It had all gone to shit, though. They had been celebrating, sake was shared – abundantly shared – and from what Akiko understood, Satku had said _something._ Whatever he’d said, they’d never talked about it, because Rei had punched him in the eye and stormed out, but it was pretty fair to assume it was something overtly flirtatious. Which sucked, because Akiko really liked Rei, the kid had moxy. Whatever moxy was. Heard it at the gym once, it sounded right.

Neither she nor Satku had heard from Rei for about a month now, and the team immediately went to hell. They’d forfeited a match waiting for her, then they picked up Mahno. Satku liked him, Akiko thought he was _ok_ , but he couldn’t pro bend to save his life. He tried to take all of his cues from Satku, who before had taken half his cues from Rei. Disaster. Not to mention, the house _felt_ different. Rei had never actually lived in it in the two years they’d been a team, but she’d come and go all the time, and stay the night before and after every match. She was younger, but she was a consistent, fun, presence, something Akiko hadn’t had much of at home.

Now she was gone as randomly and suddenly as she’d arrived. Damn.

_tik tik tik…tiktik…tiktik…_

Akiko’s eyes flew open. Ol’ river pebble, lightly bouncing on the windowsill like a rock-thing possessed. She scoots along the floor closer to it, watching it hop rhythmically, pause, and start again. Every so often it flips over. Green on one side, red on the other.

_tik tik tik…tiktik…tiktik…_

She picks it up, tosses it from hand it to hand, a crooked smile on her face.

.....

 

Rei was tapping her finger against the wall of an old granite house. This was probably a bad idea. She wouldn’t doubt if there was some animosity held towards her here, and she really wasn’t good at awkward conversations. A sultry old man gave her a scathing look walking past, she paid him no mind. It wasn’t her fault she’d almost hit him. What was he doing in the road anyways?  She looked over her shoulder to the sleek black motorcycle she’d parked just off the street. It wasn’t too late to just forget this, drive away.

_“You say you do not have very many friends, would you like some?”_

_No._ Clenching her fists, Rei resumes drumming out the rhythm with her knuckles. She _had_ friends. Akiko would understand, she’d get it, and she didn’t need this weird dude intruding on her dreams telling her otherwise. It pissed her off. Though if she was being honest, it also made her inexplicably curious. The whole thing was both frightening and compelling, and she had no idea why, which pissed her off even more.

It took her a moment to realize that she was just tapping for the sake of it, because the stone was no longer on the windowsill. She could feel that.

“So is the part where I let down my hair?”

Startled, Rei looks up, trying to act like she hadn’t been surprised. Akiko was leaning out of the window, her loose hair falling around her face, staring at her with a familiar quirky smile. Good signs so far.

Still though, weird thing to say. “Let down your hair?” Rei asks, eyebrows raised. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s the story of Rapunza.” Akiko says, hanging almost all the way out of the window now. “Golden haired princess. Locked in a tower. Super long hair. Let’s it down so her daring prince can climb it and rescue her.”

“That makes, literally, no sense.”

“I know, right? I mean, have you ever heard of anyone with ‘golden hair’? What even is that?”

“Some lady grows her hair long enough for some dude to _climb_ on it, and you’re hung up on hair color.” Rei shakes her head and laughs. This was good, she was so far un-hated, with Akiko anyways. A passing couple gives them a strange look. “Where’d you even hear that story?”

Akiko smirks and suddenly shakes her head side to side like a dog, black silk hair flying in every direction, laughing like she’s just heard the punch line of a good joke.

“I made it up.” She blows a strand of hair off of her face, still flashing that toothy grin. Then, as quick as it appeared, her smile is gone, replaced by a questioning gaze. “You’re not trying to get back on the team, are you?” She frowns curiously, her eyebrows creasing. “’Cause we already lost, we’re not in the finals.”

“Oh, no.” Absently, Rei starts rubbing her neck. “Actually I wanted to…” Deep breaths. Friends, she wanted to keep the friends she had, it just wasn’t something she was good at. “Listen, I’m sorry. I guess. Satku was a prick…but I may have overreacted, I didn’t mean to leave the team hanging, I just…you know… and… and why are you smiling?”

Wearing that quirky smile again, Akiko just shrugs and looks up into the sky, watching the passing clouds, a distant look on her face. It’s weird, but it’s familiar, something Rei’s used to, though she hasn’t figured where she goes to when she’s like this. Maybe the road, or the clouds, somewhere to be in motion.

“So.” She says, snapping out of her daydream. “What’s up?”

Well, no beating around it. Rei imagined that most friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long time had certain preliminaries before falling back into stride, she’d never had time for that. Especially since her plane was leaving in a few hours. May as well hope for the best.

“I was wondering- ”

“Yes.”

Rei’s face freezes for a moment in confusion, unsure whether to be crestfallen or not. “What?”

“Wherever you were going to ask me to go. Yes.”

Hesitantly. “Omashu?”

“Double yes. I have been so bored.”

“We leave in like four hours.”

“Avatar business?”

“Might be.”

“Triple yes. Do we have time for food though? I’m starving.”

Relaxing, Rei surrenders a small smile. Didn’t even realize how tense she was. Makes sense though, considering that could have gone a lot worse.

“You’re so weird, ‘Kiko.” To which her friend responds by sticking out her tongue. “Sure.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  [ ](http://doofyarts.tumblr.com/post/108150163482/korra-daughter-click-for-hq-korrasami-bb)
> 
> Rei all decked out for pro bending! Though unfortunately, the mystery airbender girl mentioned in the picture shall remain a mystery, forever. Feel free to headcannon into oblivion though. Oh and by the way, maybe glance back at [chapter two!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3811621/chapters/8494318) I put some more awesome 'Rei' art from doofy in the notes at the end, and it's my favorite piece. Also added some doofy-style Korrasami art at the end of the last chapter also...so, yeah, go look at it! (Click the picture to go to doofy's page for some super awesome Korrasami fanart, among other great stuff!)
> 
> For the record, all the art work I post up of Rei was made a long time before I started writing this story, and was masterfully crafted by doofyarts on tumblr. This means not every detail in the art is relevant to the story, though I try to stay pretty close to it. For example, personally I think that the Grizzly Sharks uniforms would be some dark shade of blue, but I still friggin love this picture.
> 
> This chapter was...hard to write. Both in its content, and in the fact that I have been extremely busy lately. But even still, let me know your thoughts! Love, hate, comments, critiques. What'd you think about Akiko? Rapunza, too cheesy? I don't know! *implosion*
> 
> I know that this chapter was probably not as gripping as the others so far (if they were at all), but it was a fun one. And as far as Satku goes, remember that name, we're not finished with him. I have plans for him, and they're hilari- *ahem* quite, um, interesting.
> 
> P.S. - Bolin's parody of the 'earthly tethers' poem, was that...was that a cleverly disguised fart joke?!  
>  No, no of course not. We're all very classy here.


	6. The Gathering Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew fixes to leave, and Rei runs into somebody she'd really rather not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*spongebob narrator voice*)  
> Two months later...
> 
> I mean, for me. Not the story. Sorry. Anyhow...

The sky was a patchwork of blue and grey and the approaching clouds were ever-present with the threat of rain. The uneven shadows that passed over the paved runway promised hard winds, and served to accentuate the lines of worry on Bolin’s face as he followed tentatively along the asphalt strip, their aircraft looming before them in the shifting light and darkness.

“Seems like nasty weather for flying.” Bolin muttered, laughing nervously, as subtle as a hungry hippo-cow. “I mean, I’m no pilot, but maybe a good ol’ fashion train sounds pretty good right now.”

Asami smirked, though she couldn’t deny that she felt it too. There is some innate part of a human mind that responds to weather, the instinct in all crawling, swimming life that knows the coming storm. The impulse to run for shelter, to hide away from the thunder. She felt this thing, but it hardly meant that she was afraid.

And so she laughed.

“Hey,” She clasped him hard on the back, causing him to jump with surprise. “I thought you’d gotten over your whole ‘thing’ with flying?”

“Oh, I have. Mostly. It’s just, you know. A storm, that’s one thing. Flying, that’s also a thing. Flying through a storm, that’s a whole ‘nother _really_ scary thing.” He pressed his fingers together anxiously. “I mean what if the plane breaks up, or what if our pilot falls asleep, or…”

“Bolin, we’re flying with Korra. The Avatar. If anyone can keep us safe during a storm, it’s her.” She said reassuringly, even though she wasn’t exactly sure how exactly Korra would protect them thousands of feet off of the ground.

“Yeah, well she can airbend and stuff. _She_ could probably survive falling out of the sky.” Bolin continued, not reassured at all. “Not a whole lot of earth up there.”

“Big baby. Rei flies just fine.” She said teasingly. “But, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll be the one flying this bird, and I can fly through any storm.”

“Oh.” Bolin’s shoulders relaxed, the tension draining out of him like a leaky balloon. “Well in that case, I feel much better.” He said, entirely without sarcasm.

Asami smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder, touched by her friend’s confidence in her. But, if her skills as a pilot were anything to be impressed by, then the aircraft before them was something to inspire awe. Flight had come a long way in the last couple of decades. Biplanes were so far outdated it was laughable. The Sato Commercial Airliner was Asami’s pride and joy, it revolutionized transportation as much the satomobile had an era ago. And this plane, the Sato Jet, the crown jewel of the Future Industry’s fleet of aircraft, this was a marvel of engineering. Republic City to Ba Sing Se, four hours. Omashu, around three.

Easy day.

Though right now, it needed fuel. The landing strip in Omashu would be glad to host the Sato Jet, but the plane wouldn’t fly on happiness and good intentions.

“Let’s get over to that fueling station, that purple air tank right there.” She followed him to it, walking as he ran, because of course he would. “I need you to pull the red lever and, when I say so, hit the orange button. Got it?”

“Got it!”

Bolin followed her directions excitedly as she kicked open a manhole cover and pulled a large hose from the station, connecting it to the fuel port in the ground. Before repeating the same process with the jet, she used a bonding cable to discharge any static built up from its last flight. She _really_ didn’t want to explode, Asami had a feeling that would probably undermine Bolin’s trust in her.

“Alright!” She said as she fastened the hose to the wing of the aircraft. “Hit it!”

To which Bolin, theatrically and with much aplomb, pressed the button. Fuel started flowing into the plane at two hundred gallons-per-minute, which was always a faster process than what made her comfortable. The aircraft ran essentially on kerosene, which, while less volatile than most other propellants, was still an awful toxic mess. Still, she hadn’t had a busted hose yet, may as well hold out for luck.

Maybe the only reason it made her uncomfortable was because she hadn’t designed the station. To her, that was a plenty valid concern.

The pump was loud, so she beckoned Bolin over to the other side of the runway. The Sato Jet was pretty well near empty, so it would take a little more than ten minutes to get its fill, time Asami didn’t feel like standing around doing nothing but listen to the monotonous tones of flowing kerosene.

“I’m used to airports being super busy, it’s kind of weird that there’s like no one here.” Bolin said as they sat in the grass beside the asphalt. “I can’t decide whether it’s nice or eerie.”

“You get used to it after a while. I’ve seen my fair share of private airstrips, but this is by far the nicest I’ve been to.”

He did have a point, the strip here was pretty desolate, but Asami counted that as a blessing. The hangers here only housed a handful of aircraft, including her own, so she rarely had to que up for takeoff, and the on-duty air traffic controller here was generally more pleasant than the commercial airport variety.

It was also a pretty easy place to spot when landing. Hard to miss that incredible white tower, the marble colossus at the center of all this. Even in the midst of the mountains, on a clear day you could see the gigantic building from Republic City.

“Huh.” Bolin must have had the same thought, because his eyes unconsciously started climbing the massive tower ahead of them. “I guess the White Lotus has the best of everything.”

Asami smirks, though there’s the shadow something painful in her smile. 

“They ought to, I built this damn place.”

 

 

“Mahno, can I tell you something?”

“Uh, sure. What’s up?”

“Women are crazy and I’ll never understand them.”

“Oh, okay.”

The spirit portal rose high above the crowded clearing, disappearing into the thickening clouds. The festival-goers, undaunted by the impending weather, were already beginning to open umbrellas as the halting rain came and went. Splashes of colored canvas covered most of the visitors now, people sharing shelter with friends and strangers.

Two young men sat at a picnic table, comfortable underneath a large blue umbrella fastened to the wood, people and spirits passing them by.

“So, is that why we’re not going to arena? Because women are crazy?” Mahno asked, genuinely confused.

Satku, instead of getting characteristically defensive, just slumped and pressed his cheek against the cool wood of the table, grumbling.

“What’s the point?” He muttered, closing his eyes and blowing a strand of brown hair out of his face.

“Whoa, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“We _suck_ bro _._ ” Satku threw up his hands resignedly, face still planted firmly against the table. “I just think…I’m burned out from pro bending. Maybe I’ll go be a farmer, or flip burgers, or whatever. There’s probably something I’m not terrible at.”

“Hey man, listen.” Mahno said sternly. Satku looked up, caught off-guard by his friend’s unusually determined expression. He and Mahno locked eyes, hazel staring into faded blue. “We’ve been friends since, like, forever, and _we_ don’t suck. _I_ suck. It’s why I never asked to be on your team, but when you said you needed me, I came because I’ve _got your back._ ” Mahno chopped his hand through the air for extra emphasis. “You, and Akiko, you guys are great. Me? Mediocre. Always mediocre. But I’m getting better! Sure, this season was a bust, but we can _get this._ ” He slammed his palm down on the table, which earned more than a few strange looks from the people around them. “If I haven’t quit yet, then you sure as hell shouldn’t. You with me?”

“Yeah…” Satku said mildly, and then with gusto, “Yeah! Damn bro, where’d that come from?”

Mahno looked almost lightheaded, smiling dizzily. “I don’t know, I just…I’m not ready to give up.”

If Satku’s smile was any wider, it would’ve broken his face.

“Alright man, you said it. No more of this mopin’ bullshit.”

“Damn straight.” Mahno said as he and Satku stood.

“Let’s show those sponsors we mean business.”

“Yeah!”

“To the arena!”

And then it started shitting down rain.

The two men just stood there, staring up at the sky wordlessly.

“My whole life is a joke.” Satku said, hands outstretched past the safety of the umbrella, raindrops pooling in his palms.

“Naw man, it’s like…shit, I can’t spin this.”

Satku shook his head, snapping out of some defeated haze and took a deep breath. It wasn’t actually a big deal. The finals went on for days, they could come back.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said, forcing a smile that came easier than he thought it would. “We’ll come tomorrow, we need the whole team anyways.”

“You think Akiko will actually come?”

“Maybe…” Satku stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I just need to…tone down the assholery. I got this.”

Mahno looked at Satku like he’d turned into an alien.

“Tone down the ‘assholery’?” Satku raised his eyebrows, Mahno pressed on. “I mean, you _are_ kind of a dick sometimes – no offense, I don’t really care – I’m just surprised that you’ll say it. That’s big of you, bro.” Mahno smiled at Satku, who was shrugging only somewhat bashfully. “That’s not an imposter wearing your skin, is it?”

Leave it to Mahno to make it weird. “Nope. One hundred percent waterbending-bad-ass Satku, in the flesh.”

“Now that’s more like…” Mahno trailed off, looking behind Satku’s shoulder. “Is that Akiko, and… _no way._ ”

Satku performed a near perfect, lightning fast, about-face, and saw what there was to see. Akiko.

And Rei.

 

.....

 

“You know, in hindsight, maybe the motorcycle wasn’t the best idea.”

Rei and Akiko were strolling through the crowds of people, huddling together under Akiko’s red umbrella. Rei was thankful that someone had managed to think ahead, and was grateful not to be a sopping wet mess trudging through the sudden downpour by herself.

“’Nother kabob?” Akiko asked, waving the stick of meat back and forth teasingly.

“I’m full, big breakfast.”

“Sure? Would be a shame to waste ‘em considering they cost an arm and both legs.”

“Mmmm… fine.” Rei took the kabob, only half reluctantly. “I told you that lady was nuts.”

“Totally bat-shit-crazy, yeah.”

Rei laughed at that. It had been too long, she hadn’t been at ease like this a while. She’d almost forgotten how much she enjoyed the company of her friends. Well, friend. Just the one, but that was enough for now.

Suck on that Rokkel, weirdo.

“Jeez,” Rei started absently, staring regretfully at her motorcycle. “It is not going to be fun driving back in this rain. Almost makes me wish we had Satku around.”

Akiko gave Rei a sideways look, eyebrows raised.

“Hey, I said ‘almost’.” Rei said defensively.

“You did.” Akiko said, Rei could feel herself wilting at her friend’s questioning stare. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you and Satku?”

“’Kiko…” Rei said bashfully, staring at the ground. “It’s stupid, you don’t want to hear it.”

“I kinda do though. I mean what did he say that was that bad?”

“It’s…well…honestly, I don-”

Before she could finish, an unfortunately familiar face materialized out of the jungle of colored canvas, right into their path.

“Rei! Akiko!” Satku called out awkwardly, Mahno tailing close behind him. Both of them were getting drenched, standing uncovered in the rain. “What are you guys doing here?”

Akiko crossed her arms and stared at them suspiciously. “I thought you two were going to the arena?”

“Well, we were, but… listen Akiko…” Satku faltered for a moment, Rei watched him as he tried to find the right words.

“I know that I can be a dick, but I’m really trying not to be. If we’re going, we need to go together. As a team. We need you ‘Kiko.”

The rain started to let up, just a little. The downpour gradually turned down to a moderate drizzle. Akiko kept her arms crossed, but her expression softened slightly.

“And Rei,” Satku started, but Rei cut him off.

“Just… save it. Please.” She said, not unkindly.

“No, I can’t just ‘save it’. I just forgot, you know? I didn’t mean what I said in a bad way.”

Rei just stared at him, her brow furrowing, wanting to get away.

“Satku, you don’t have to.”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Satku said determinedly. “I’m sorry.”

And the rain stopped.

The group froze, suddenly dazed. A ray of sunlight broke through a gap in the clouds. Akiko was the first one to snap out of their collective reverie.

“Satku, thanks. Really. But, I already told Rei that I was going with her to Omashu. Sorry.”

“But ‘Kiko, we really need you right now.” Mahno said pleadingly as Satku just stood there dumbly. Rei thought she could relate to him right then. She felt pretty stupid as well.

“Hey, nerd.” Akiko snapped her fingers in front of Rei’s eyes, pulling her out of whatever trance she was in. “We need to get going before it starts crapping rain again.”

“Yeah.” She said numbly. “Let’s go. Sorry guys.”

The two girls left Mahno and Satku standing there against the backdrop of vines and buildings and passing tourists, defeated looks frozen on both their faces, the sun fading back into the storm.

And behind everything, a massive white tower, only just visible in the far distance.

 

.....

 

“What just happened?”

“I don’t know."

“Well, what now?”

“Who cares.”

And it began to rain again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Sorry this took so long to bang out. I've had a whole mess of real life nonsense going on, and I've just moved. Again. Whew Texas! (Goddamnit'ssohot)
> 
> By the way, I know all yall's memories are probably a little hazy since I've been away for so long, but for those who pay attention, I have been hinting and foreshadowing this god damned storm in notes, and comments, and tumblr posts almost since I started writing this. And finally friggin at the bleedin storm. Yus.
> 
> I've already got a good start on the next chapter, hopefully maybe we can find out what that weird tower is about, huh?


End file.
